Andrei Iancu

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 09.27.17

* Former Alabama Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore has won the Republican primary runoff election for the Senate seat that was once occupied by AG Jeff Sessions. Perhaps we can look forward to history repeating itself and Moore being twice suspended if he wins the special election. [New York Times] * Senate Republicans don't have the votes for the Graham-Cassidy effort to repeal Obamacare to pass, but not to worry, because they'll be back at it again soon via the 2019 budget reconciliation process, and next time, they're going to be transparent, hold committee hearings, and even consult Democrats. [CNN] * The Trump administration's Department of Homeland Security has refused to waive Jones Act shipping restrictions that are preventing Puerto Rico from getting the gasoline and supplies that are so desperately needed for the island's recovery efforts following Hurricane Maria. Senator John McCain is pissed, and says it's time to repeal the "archaic and burdensome" Act. [Reuters] * Freedom hangs in the balance for Making a Murderer's Brendan Dassey, whose case was heard before the full Seventh Circuit yesterday. According to court watchers, the judges seemed split, and we can't help but to wonder what Judge Richard Posner would have thought. [Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel] * Irell & Manella's Andrei Iancu, President Trump's pick to lead the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, is awaiting confirmation. There's no better way to bide our time while we wait than to discuss the fact that he'd been pulling down a $4 million paycheck at the firm. We'll have more on this later. [Am Law Daily] * "How can you expect companies to do the right thing when you[r] agency has not?" U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Jay Clayton is taking heat over the fact that his agency was hacked in 2016, but nothing was mentioned about it until last week. He's set a great example. [Big Law Business] * According to a recent study, no matter what women do, in most cases, they'll continue to earn less than men. The ban on asking employees about their salary history is doing nothing for women; in fact, they're being penalized for refusing to disclose their salaries, while men are being rewarded. [The Careerist]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 08.28.17

* Under cover of a natural disaster, President Donald Trump decided to pardon former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was found guilty of criminal contempt after ignoring a federal judge's order. Trump, who has shown contempt for judges since the start of his campaign, now seems to be using his "weaponized pardon power" to circumvent the powers of the judiciary. [New York Times] * Speaking of Hurricane Harvey, we know that many lawyers, law students, and law professors in Texas have been and continue to be affected by the devastating after effects of the storm. How has your firm or your law school handled the destruction and historic flooding? Please get in touch with us via email, text message (646-820-8477), or tweet (@atlblog) to let us know. [Above the Law] * Getting back to Joe Arpaio's pardon, lawyers, former government officials, and current lawmakers of all stripes have spoken out against the president's unconventional action. Perhaps our favorite comment of all came from Professor Orin Kerr of USC Gould School of Law: "Trump shows his love of the Constitution by pardoning a man who refused to stop violating it." [Law.com] * Special Counsel Robert Mueller is reportedly investigating whether former national security adviser Michael Flynn played any kind of a role in obtaining Hillary Clinton's emails from Russian hackers. If he did have something to do with it, Flynn may be more concerned about Clinton's emails right now than the average Trump voter was in the lead-up to the election. [Wall Street Journal] * Thanks to President Trump, Irell & Manella now stands to lose one of its top rainmakers. In a Friday announcement, patent litigator Andrei Iancu, a partner at the firm, was nominated to become the next Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property. We wonder how long it'll take for him to be confirmed.[Am Law Daily]

By Staci Zaretsky